What are the Requirements for Participation?

Horizon 2020 is open to participants from all over the world, but there are specific rules for international participants. Below is an overview of the most important regulations you should be aware of when considering applying for funding through Horizon 2020.

Who can Participate?

Horizon 2020 is open to all legal entities, which means that individuals, researchers, companies, institutions, universities, associations, organisations etc., which are established in a EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon 2020 can participate and receive funding. Overseas countries and territories which are associated with the EU Member State (for instance Greenland) is also considered EU countries.

Asssociated Countries

Horizon 2020 promotes international, interdisciplinary collaboration, and for most of the programmes there is a project requirement for a minimum of three partners, from three different countries. Exceptions to this requirement are found in the SME instrument and the personal scholarships which are based on individual participation.

International Consortia

For the programmes that require multiple participants in a project, the main rule is to involve a minimum of three partners from different EU Member States or associated countries in an international consortium.

It is possible to include partners from other parts of the world, but in that case, specific rules for funding will apply.

Some developing and middle-income countries may be funded on an equal footing with participants from EU Member States. These are, among others, Asian, African, South American and Middle Eastern countries as well as the European countries outside the European Union.

Countries like USA, Japan, the BRIC countries and Switzerland may also participate, but will only recieve funding in specific situations:

If there is a bilateral agreement on research- or technological cooperation between the EU and the country concerned,

If it is explicitly noted in the topic text that applicants from these countries are eligible,

If you can convince the European Commission that the specific partner is critical to the project and that the partner adds special skills or expertise, access to special research infrastructure, access to a particular geographic area or access to data.

Most often partners from these countries will be funded through national funding for the partcipation i a Horizon 2020 project.